New Delhi: The political standoff over the alleged police action against protesting students intensified on Monday, with the BJP accusing Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi of repeatedly shifting his demand and deliberately disrupting Lok Sabha proceedings, while Gandhi insisted that the government must answer one specific question.
Political Context
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and Union Minister J.P. “The order to change the goalpost was given to Rahul Gandhi by George Soros. Why is Rahul Gandhi so afraid of Home Minister Amit Shah? If he was unaware of it, Gandhi argued, questions would arise over his competence as Home Minister. It wanted him to clarify whether he had authorised the police action against the protesting students. “The question was never that Mr Amit Shah is going to come and give a speech on some general topics in Parliament. “If he ordered it, he is guilty of getting our children shot. And if he didn’t know about it happening, he’s incompetent. In a meeting of the Lok Sabha’s Business Advisory Committee (BAC) chaired by speaker Om Birla, parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju made the offer. Birla, too, appealed to the Opposition to cooperate in the smooth conduct of proceedings, pointing out that the government agreed on the main demand of the Opposition — a statement by Shah. “We have made it clear to the BAC of the Lok Sabha that the government is ready for a full-fledged discussion on the student and youth agitations that have been going on in different parts of the country as well as police action. Pointing out that the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had demanded that Shah make a statement in Parliament on the student protests. Now, there appear to be some differences between the Congress and the Samajwadi Party — which they need to resolve. As for the student issue, we are ready for a discussion. We have stated our position. Now, it is up to the Samajwadi Party and the Congress to sort out the differences between them. “The use of force against students protesting in Jharkhand is wrong. Students have a right to peaceful protest, and only dialogue can yield solutions. Gandhi’s intervention comes amid growing attention to the student agitation and the government’s handling of the protests. He has repeatedly backed students’ demands and called for their concerns to be addressed.
New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Monday rejected the government’s offer of a discussion on student issues, saying the Opposition wanted Union Home Minister Amit Shah to first answer a specific question – who authorised the alleged firing on students protesting in Delhi on June 20?
Nadda said the government had agreed to an Opposition demand for a discussion and that Home Minister Amit Shah was prepared to respond in the House. In a post on X, Dubey alleged that Gandhi was “changing the goalpost” and questioned why he was “so afraid of Home Minister Amit Shah”. God alone knows what will happen to you and your party,” Dubey said. Rijiju urged Opposition members to allow the House to function and said the discussion and the government’s reply should be allowed to take place. Gandhi, however, speaking alongside Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday evening, rejected what he described as a “fantasy conversation”. He said the Opposition was not asking Shah to make a general statement in Parliament, but wanted him to answer a specific question: who authorised the alleged firing on protesting students? Gandhi said that if Shah had personally authorised the action, he would be responsible. Rahul Gandhi said the Opposition’s demand was never for Shah to come to Parliament and make a general speech. The question was always that Amit Shah has to make it clear who authorised the shooting of our youngsters in Delhi,” Gandhi said. He alleged that pellet guns were used and students were beaten with lathis “with nails on them”, and demanded that the Home Minister “come clean”. Gandhi said Shah would be responsible if he had ordered the alleged firing, while a failure to know about the action would amount to incompetence. Either way, he should go,” Gandhi said. The Congress leader said the Opposition also wanted to know who within the Ministry of Home Affairs had authorised the action if Shah himself had not done so. The home minister will give point-by-point reply to the debate on behalf of the government,” Rijiju said after the BAC meeting. Rijiju said, “We have made our offer. Both the Congress and the SP said debates on both issues were non-negotiable. The Jharkhand government must continue to hear these students out and resolve their issues immediately,” Gandhi said in a post on X. The students have said they will continue their protest until their demands related to the recruitment examinations are addressed and concrete action is taken against those responsible for the alleged irregularities.
Today, BJP, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju repeatedly said that Amit Shah will answer. Earlier on Monday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government was ready for a detailed discussion on issues concerning students and that Shah would respond to every point raised by the Opposition. The government on Monday offered to debate students’ issues and police action in Parliament with a reply by Union home minister Amit Shah, in a last-ditch effort to end the two-week-long logjam, but the Opposition insisted on specific responses and a second debate on donation theft in the Ram Temple.
Responses
Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has criticised the use of force against students protesting in Jharkhand, saying that young people raising their concerns should be heard rather than dealt with through force.
The BJP has repeatedly criticised Gandhi over his “silence” on the students’ protest in Jharkhand, which is ruled by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), an ally of Congress in the INDIA bloc.
